A novel hybrid compound, bis(4-methylanilinium)hexachlorostannate(IV) monohydrate, formulated as (C 7 H 10 N) 2 [SnCl 6 ]•H 2 O, has been prepared and characterized by powder and single crystal X-ray diffraction (XRD), Hirshfeld surface analysis, infrared spectroscopy (IR), optical study, differential thermal analysis(DTA) and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy analysis (XPS). The title compound crystallizes in the monoclinic space group P2 1 /c with a = 13.093(1)Å, b =7.093(6)Å, c =24.152(2)Å, β =98.536(4)⁰ and V =2218.4(4) Å 3. Their crystal structure exhibits alternating inorganic layers parallel to the (ab) plane at z= n/2.The different entities, [SnCl 6 ] 2-, organic cations and water molecules, are connected via hydrogen bonds to form a three-dimensional network. The powder XRD data confirms the phase purity of the crystalline sample. The intermolecular interactions were investigated by Hirshfeld surfaces. The vibrational absorption bands were identified by IR spectroscopy and have been discussed. The optical properties of the crystal were studied by using optical absorption, UV-visible absorption and photoluminescence spectroscopy studies. The compound was also characterized by DTA to determine its thermal behavior with respect to the temperature. Finally, XPS technique is reported for analyzing the surface chemistry of this compound.